Thanks, She Just Had It Stuffed…

Mel Gibson’s “The Beaver” may not have had a strong open when it bowed in 22 theaters in early May, but the crowd at Cannes loved it.

According to Deadline, the film received a 10-minute standing ovation for both “The Beaver” and Gibson. Directed by and co-starring Jodie Foster, “The Beaver” tells the story of a depressed toy company executive (Gibson) who begins using a beaver hand puppet to help turn his life back around.

Deadline reports that Foster – who rallied around her friend Gibson and encouraged U.S. audiences to take his performance at face value – told the press at Cannes that she’d made the film with a “European sensibility” and expected the audience to be receptive.

Although he missed the press event at Cannes, Gibson, who has been embroiled in controversy over the past several months, did arrive to show his support for the premiere.

When the film opened earlier this month, it drew only $104,000 at the box office, but a Summit Entertainment exec said that it was less about Gibson and more about the nature of the film.